Online Reviews: Why You Can’t Do Without Them

February 14th 2014 | By Steve Grant

With so many people buying online, customer reviews are more important than ever for e-commerce sites. Online reviews benefit customers and are an essential form of information for businesses too.

Here are three advantages to using online reviews as part of your marketing strategy:

1.    Advantages to Customers

• Online reviews act as a form of word of mouth recommendation from one customer to another. This is hugely beneficial when buying online as customers cannot touch or physically see the product they are considering.
• Online reviews increase confidence to buy and reduce the risk of purchasing online. If negative reviews are included, this can even help cynical customers understand that the company is honest and is not using only positive comments.
• Customers are able to conduct research about products, find information and make choices that are better for them in an unbiased manner from online reviews.
• Online reviews give a sense of community and belonging. Customers feel good knowing that other people rate a product they are considering buying.
• Reviews also help as a way of allowing customers to give their feedback about a product; they’ll feel involved and appreciated.

 2.    Advantages to Businesses 

• Online reviews can boost conversion rates. If customers feel more comfortable about buying a product online, then the business will benefit from increased sales.
• The credibility of a business can be boosted by a wealth of objective and positive reviews. Customers will feel happier and confident to deal with a company that is clearly showcasing good recommendations.
• Businesses can gain valuable feedback quickly from customers which they can then act upon. For example if a particular product appears to be getting many negative reviews, the business can take action speedily to get this resolved. If another product appears to be getting plenty of five star ratings, this can help the business with future buying and decision making.
• A customer who takes the time to write a review and engage with a brand is more likely to be loyal to that business and buy from them again.

 3.     SEO Advantages 

• Customer ratings and reviews acts as a form of content which appeals to search engines. Additionally, regularly updating a website can have a positive effect on search engine rankings.
• Customers may use keyword rich content within their product reviews which is another way of boosting website rankings.

Online ratings are incredibly valuable to both the customer and the business. For customers, online reviews can increase confidence to buy. For businesses they can help raise awareness of a product, facilitate feedback and, most importantly, enhance sales.

If you’d like to find out more about how online reviews can help your business and SEO, contact our agency in London today.